Pest control in Dublin: costs, council services and local pests

Quick answer: Dublin is the only part of Ireland with a free public rat service: the HSE treats rats in homes in Dublin city and county where they are judged a risk to health. Mice, wasps, bed bugs and other pests need a private pest controller, and in a private rented home rat treatment is the landlord’s job.

Local pest issues in Dublin

Rats are the pest Dublin’s public services talk about most. The Irish Times reported in May 2024 that the HSE’s pest control team handled 16,921 callouts in 2022 and 16,223 in 2023, and that the service normally deals with between 16,000 and 17,000 callouts a year across Dublin city and county. Earlier, in September 2020, the Irish Examiner reported the service was visiting around 70 premises a day, with reports split almost evenly between the northside and the southside, and Dublin City Council linked a rise in activity to the Covid lockdowns, when domestic waste increased.

The Irish Times also reported that the HSE leaves rodenticide bait in place for 35 days and re-surveys if the problem has not gone, and that its staff hold a professional qualification overseen by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Poor waste storage is a recurring cause: Fingal County Council points out that the occupier of land is responsible for any rodent infestation under the Rats and Mice (Destruction) Act 1919, and that enforcement powers once held by councils now sit with the HSE.

The HSE and council pest services in Dublin

Service	What it covers	Charge	How to request
HSE Pest Control Service	Rats in homes in Dublin city and county, where judged detrimental to health. It will not treat mice, bees, flies, wasps or foxes.	Free	Email [email protected] (north Dublin) or [email protected] (south Dublin); phone 1800 211 774 (south). Give your name, address, contact details and a description.
Dublin City Council (council tenants)	The council liaises with the HSE to eradicate rats from council dwellings. All other pests are the tenant’s responsibility.	No charge for rat referrals	Report through the council’s housing maintenance route: 01 222 2222.
Your local authority (public land)	Rats on public land, council land or linked to waste and litter.	No charge to report	Dublin City Council 01 222 2222; Fingal, South Dublin and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown have their own customer lines.
Uisce Éireann	Rats associated with defective public sewers under the road.	No charge to report	[email protected]. Private drains serving your home are the owner’s responsibility.

If you rent privately, the HSE advises contacting your landlord, because treatment is the landowner’s responsibility. The HSE’s own web page for the service was not loading when we checked in September 2026; the contact details above were confirmed on Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council’s HSE Pest Control page.

What private pest control costs in Dublin

We have not found a published price list that is specific to Dublin, so use the national figures in our Ireland pest control cost guide. As a rough guide, HomePros.ie reports typical ranges of €280 to €450 for a rat treatment over two to three visits and €69 to €150 for a single wasp nest, while one Dublin firm, Central Pest Control, publishes €150 to €250 for a rat treatment and €80 to €120 for a wasp nest. The gap between those figures is normal: it reflects how many visits and how much proofing is included.

Our page on comparing callouts, follow-up visits and quotes shows what to line up side by side. We are a comparison and referral service, not a pest control company; if you want quotes, the form below passes your request to firms that cover your area.

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We are a comparison and referral service, not a pest control company. We do not guarantee a quote, a price or a response time. If there is an immediate risk to health or safety, contact the relevant emergency service.

Renting in Dublin: who deals with pests

Private tenants are covered by the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019. Regulation 4(4) says that, where necessary, adequate provision must be made to prevent harbourage or ingress of pests or vermin, and Regulation 11 requires access to suitable pest and vermin-proof refuse storage. Citizens Information summarises this as a landlord duty to make efforts to prevent infestation. Tell your landlord first and keep a written record. If the problem is a building defect that is not fixed, Dublin City Council’s Environmental Health Section (01 222 6500) enforces the standards, and disputes between landlord and tenant go to the Residential Tenancies Board. See also our guide to pests in a rented home.

Dublin City Council says its Environmental Health Officers inspect private rented homes both proactively and in response to complaints, and a tenant should give the landlord the chance to put matters right before referring a complaint. Council tenants should note the split set out by the council: it arranges rat treatment with the HSE, and other pests are the tenant’s responsibility.

How to choose a pest controller

Ask for the technician’s PMU number if rodenticides may be used, and check it against the DAFM register.
Ask whether the firm belongs to a trade body such as the Irish Pest Control Association (IPCA), which publishes a member list. Membership is voluntary, so confirm it rather than assume it.
Get the scope in writing: survey, number of visits, what proofing is included, and whether VAT is in the price.
Ask how the firm finds the cause (for rats, a drain check is often part of this) rather than only laying bait.
Compare at least two quotes. Our guide to choosing a pest controller lists more questions.

Pest control providers in Dublin

These businesses appear in public business listings for Dublin. We have not checked their PMU registration, insurance or trade body membership, so ask them directly.